As seen by the VP-30 aircrew from their P-8A Poseidon, HMCS Shawinigan moves into position to recover one of the simulated life rafts.

A pilot's view through the P-8A Poseidon "heads up display" focused on an iceberg floating near the exercise's simulated life raft.

By Lt. Brian MorganVP-30 Public Affairs Officer

VP-30 participated in Operation NANOOK 2014, a joint search-and-rescue exercise (SAREX) Aug. 19 – 22. Operation NANOOK is the largest annual training opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces in Canada’s Arctic Region. This marks the eighth annual arctic joint training exercise run by the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard.

NANOOK 2014 is an annual engagement with international military and security partners to demonstrate interoperability in the Arctic Area of Operations.

This year, the exercise had more than 800 participants, including the Royal Danish Navy Warship HMDS Triton, the Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Shawinigan, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship CCGS Henry Larsen, a Canadian CH-139 SAR Helicopter, a CP-140 Aurora (Canada’s current maritime patrol P-3 variant), and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon from the VP-30 Pro’s Nest – the P-8A Fleet Replacement Squadron at NAS Jacksonville.

The exercise tested the coordinated SAR response from multiple nations when a simulated fishing vessel carrying 13 people failed to meet a deadline for a scheduled satellite phone update.

The P-8A demonstrated its capability to operate autonomously from a remote area with a single crew and a small maintenance detachment that deployed with the aircraft.

The P-8A detachment established a two-hour ready, waiting for the call to launch for the SAR exercise. Shortly after assuming the ready posture, the crew received the word to launch. The simulated vessel was presumed to have sunk as much as 36 hours prior and two orange life rafts were now floating in the open ocean.

The Poseidon’s crew was tasked to locate the life rafts and guide local assets to recover the survivors. During preflight preparations, the crew learned the Canadian Aurora, which was already on station, had located one of the life rafts – but was low on fuel and would need to return to base with the second raft still not located. Due to short required preflight times the P-8A the crew was soon airborne and heading to their on-station point 650 miles to the north. The P-8A demonstrated its value as a quick response SAR asset, arriving on station just one hour and 15 minutes after takeoff.

While transiting to the operating area, a VP-30 Electronic Warfare Operator (EWO) began utilizing the aircraft’s powerful radar to help locate any ships or small objects in the area. Utilizing the Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), the EWO was able to differentiate between the ships and icebergs, greatly reducing the crew’s workload. Upon checking in with CCGS Henry Larsen and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) based in Halifax Canada, that was leading the SAR evolution, the crew received tasking to conduct a ladder search of the area. While descending to the assigned working altitude of 1,000 feet one of the pilots sighted an object in the water. The crew quickly maneuvered to investigate. As the crew approached, they were able to visually confirm that it was indeed one of the missing life rafts. They quickly reported their success to the HMCS Shawinigan and provided guidance to find and recover the survivors. The VP-30 P-8A crew was on station a total of six minutes before they found the missing life raft.

The crew continued to circle and maintain contact with the life raft while the ship maneuvered to recover the survivors. After HMCS Shawinigan recovered the life raft, the Poseidon crew was tasked to provide “top cover” and serve as a communication relay for a Canadian CH-149 SAR helicopter that was inbound to the ship to conduct a hoisting evolution.

The P-8A’s long on-station capability allowed the crew to complete both its primary and secondary tasking. When the CH-149 completed its mission and had established radio communications with the return controlling agency, the VP-30 crew was cleared to return to base.

NANOOK 2014 was a great success. The VP-30 crew was comprised of aircrew with experience in the P-3 who had transitioned to P-8A. Despite being instructors who teach students how to operate the aircraft tactically – none of them had ever performed a real-world mission or actually deployed with the Poseidon. This exercise validated the training syllabus that is still evolving as the P-8A program grows. The ability to take a crew that has never flown the aircraft on a real mission and succeed on-station is a testament to its outstanding mission software and the comprehensive training that instructors receive.